Grass Roots Marketing for Indie Films
The indie film business is a tumultuous, often unpredictable world, where survival is always a tenuous proposition. You can have a low-budget movie like Paranormal Experience that comes out of nowhere, (with almost no budget), and takes the world by storm, but more often than not, a single film can easily bankrupt an indie... »
This Is It—The Film That Almost Never-Never Was
The back-story to the highly publicized Michael Jackson concert film, This Is It, is almost as interesting as its enigmatic foreground entertainer. What they had planned to do was a series of concerts with a 90-foot LED screen projecting stereoscopic music videos and vignettes behind the stage, and at times, Jackson would even interact... »
Digital Features in Running for Cinematography Oscar
The nomination of films like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Slumdog Millionaire in the best cinematography category marks a bit of watershed for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences— both films were shot largely digitally. The former was shot predominantly with Thomson’s Viper Filmstream cameras, (as well as a few... »
Academy Honors Techies
As the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gathers to honor the top films in the craft categories, there’s also a moment set aside to honor scientific and technical achievements, with a series of plaques and certificates, as well as a medallion and an Oscar statuette. The Scientific and Technical Awards will be... »
A Tale of Two Cameras
RED Ramps Up RED recently unveiled plans for its upcoming Epic and Scarlet camera lines, along with a product roadmap leading up to 2010. Scarlet and Epic will form the basis of RED’s new DSMC (Digital Stills and Motion Camera) systems. With these lines of cameras, the company is going after both the high-end... »
Manufacturers Line Up for RED SDK
Since August, when RED announced the release of a Software Developer Kit (SDK) that would enable other manufacturers to work with the company’s Redcode RAW (.R3D) file format natively, there has been a rush of postproduction equipment manufacturers signing up for the SDK—namely those with editing and grading systems. It’s not surprising, since there... »
New ACTA Treaty to Address International Piracy
As the growing piracy of content continues to threaten entertainment revenues worldwide, affecting both the below-the-line and the above-the-line communities, the industry is taking aggressive measures to reduce the problem while trying to preserve individuals’ civil liberties. Piracy has been a thorn in Hollywood’s side since the introduction of consumer camcorders and VCRs. But... »
NAB’s Hot Items: Mobile Video, 3D and 4K
As we approach NAB This year, the industry faces different kinds of challenges. The effects of the prolonged writers’ strike, the threat of an upcoming actors’ strike, combined with general economic malaise are taking their toll. But as they say in show business, the show must go on. And it’s not all bad news.... »
Thomson Ships Infinity
Thomson announced that it has shipped its first Grass Valley Infinity Digital Media Camcorders, almost two-and- a-half years after the company first unveiled the camera at IBC 2005. The camera, originally scheduled to ship in early 2006, has seen a number of engineering delays, but Las Vegas-based NBC affiliate KVBC recently took delivery of... »
Trend Spotting
Not since the 1994's Due South has a Canadian TV series been able to crack the American market and air in network primetime. That show was seen on... »
Latest Headlines
Director Series
Get Low Director’s First Feature Attracts All-star Cast and CrewAugust 2010 | By Jack Egan
Get Low, a small-budget gem now in theaters, is directed by long-time cinematographer Aaron Schneider, his first time at the helm of a feature... »
Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois show How to Train Your Dragon
April 2010 | By Mary Ann Skweres
Helmed by Oscar-nominated writer/director Chris Sanders and writer/director Dean Deblois (Lilo & Stitch, Mulan), the DreamWorks Animation SKG production of »
Exclusive Film Reviews
Up in the AirDecember 2009 | By Len Klady
Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) has an amiable disposition that belies the fact that it’s best to stay out of his path. You see he’s... »
The Young Victoria
December 2009 | By Len Klady
The enduring image of Queen Victoria, whose reign dominated the bulk of the 19th century, is of a benevolent, elderly grandmother. Though she was... »